Display instrument

ABSTRACT

A display instrument with a first display and with an electro-luminescent display arranged at least partially in front of the first display is, where the first display can be illuminated or can be rendered luminous and appears as an almost uniformly dark surface when neither illuminated nor luminous.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a display instrument.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

There is a known display instrument where two displays are combinedvisually via a semitransparent mirror on a display surface of thedisplay instrument. This makes it possible to observe either one or bothof the displays together on the display surface of the displayinstrument. However, the display instrument has a relatively greatoverall depth and also has a relatively high optical attenuation, so thecost of lighting the display instrument is also high. In addition, thereis another known display instrument where two liquid crystal displaysare arranged in front of a mechanical display instrument where a pointermoves in front of a digital display face. The liquid crystal displayfacing the observer of the display instrument serves to presentinformation, while the liquid crystal display beneath the former servesas a reversible background for the front liquid crystal display. Therear liquid crystal display can be switched between a dispersing stateand a transparent state. However, this display instrument also has arelatively great overall depth and high optical attenuation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The display instrument according to the present invention, however, hasthe advantage that it has an extremely small overall depth, whichfacilitates installation of the display instrument. In addition, it hasa low optical attenuation, so the cost of lighting the displayinstrument is very low.

Designing the first display as a pointer instrument offers the advantagethat a combination of a conventional pointer instrument such as thoseused in the automotive industry to display speed, for example, with anelectro-luminescent display is created here for other information thatis more suitable for electro-luminescent display.

Applying the dial plate to a light-conducting supporting body offers theadvantage that the dial plate is supported mechanically and thelight-conducting supporting body also serves as a light guide for lightto illuminate the dial plate.

The overall depth of the display instrument is reduced in anadvantageous manner if an indentation into which the pointer projects isprovided when the electro-luminescent display is arranged in front ofthe pointer.

If the electro-luminescent display is attached to the dial plate, thisfurther reduces the total depth of the display instrument. In addition,this provides a mechanically stable mounting for the electro-luminescentdisplay. Furthermore, optical distortion (such as the parallax effect)in reading the display on the dial plate is also reduced.

The design of the pointer as a disk-shaped light-conducting body with acutout that serves as the pointer in an opaque cover layer leads to theadvantage that the pointer can be illuminated especially easily throughthe disk-shaped light-conducting body. Furthermore, the pointer exertspractically no imbalancing effect on the shaft in its rotationalmovement on the shaft holding the pointer. In addition, the disk designis especially suitable for achieving a dark appearance when the lightingfor the pointer is off.

When the pointer is made of a disk-shaped opaque material with a recessthat serves as the pointer, the light of the lighting device provided toilluminate the dial plate can also be used as a lighted pointer at thesame time without having to provide any additional light-conducting bodyfor the pointer. Therefore, this reduces the cost. Here again, thepointer has practically no imbalancing effect on the shaft holding thepointer due to its approximately rotationally symmetrical shape.

If a pointer drive mechanism that drives the pointer is mounted on abase plate together with the lighting device, this reduces the cost ofmounting as well as the cost of supplying electric power to the pointerdrive mechanism and the lighting device. Moreover, the base plate alsoprevents interfering light from penetrating into the interior of thecasing of the display instrument at the same time.

Another advantage is obtained if the first display has an LCD or LEDdisplay or some other lighting device because this permits an especiallyflat design of the display instrument.

If at least one additional electro-luminescent display is providedbetween the first display and the electro-luminescent display, thedisplay instrument can be designed in several layers with multipledisplays, thus permitting a high variability.

If a cover disk is provided in front of the first display and theelectro-luminescent display, these displays are protected fromenvironmental influences and unwanted mechanical effects.

If the cover disk is designed as a circular polarizer, the cover diskserves to provide an antiglare effect for the surface of theelectro-luminescent display inside the display instrument in anadvantageous manner.

A color filter offers the advantage that outside light reaching theinterior of the display instrument through the cover disk is attenuated.

If the cover disk is inclined, a black surface in it can be reflectedback to the plane of the observer, thus permitting an inexpensiveantiglare effect for the surface of the cover disk.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a display instrument with a disk-shaped pointer and coverdisk;

FIG. 2 shows a display instrument with a disk-shaped pointer and anelectro-luminescent display mounted directly on the dial plate.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a disk-shaped pointer.

FIG. 4 shows a display instrument with a movable pointer in front of theelectro-luminescent display.

FIG. 5 shows a display instrument with an LED display and twoelectro-luminescent displays mounted one above the other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a display instrument, in which a painter drive mechanism 1that drives a shaft 4 to rotate is mounted on a base plate 2, in whichshaft 4 passes through a passage 25 in base plate 2. On the side facingaway from pointer drive mechanism 1, base plate 2 has several lightingdevices 3. Lighting devices 3 illuminate a disk-shaped, approximatelyplano-convex light-conducting supporting body 8 on which there ismounted a ring-shaped dial plate 7 facing away from lighting devices 3on its approximately flat side. Shaft 4 passes through a passage 20 inlight-conducting supporting body 8. In addition, light-conductingsupporting body 8 which is designed with rotational symmetry has arecess 21 in the center of ring-shaped dial plate 7 so that it isconcentric with the axis of symmetry of supporting body 8 in which shaft4 runs. On one end, shaft 4 has a disk-shaped light-conducting body 5consisting of two individual concentric cylindrical disks with differentdiameters. The individual disk of disk-shaped light-conducting body 5having the smaller diameter faces base plate 2 with a flat base face. Onthe opposite side, disk-shaped light-conducting body 5 has an opaquecover layer 10 with a radial cutout 11 on the flat base face of thesingle disk having the larger diameter. Cutout 11 is designed as a slotrunning radially in cover layer 10. Disk-shaped light-conducting body 5together with cover layer 10 and its cutout 11 forms a pointer 6. Anelectro-luminescent display 9 is provided in front of pointer 6 and hasa structured transparent layer that is designed as front electrode 17,another structured transparent layer that serves as rear electrode 19and an electro-luminescent layer 18 provided between the two electrodes17 and 19. Base plate 2, light-conducting supporting body 8 andelectro-luminescent display 9 are bound together in a casing 22 that hasa transparent cover disk 23 in front of electro-luminescent display 9.Cover disk 23 includes a λ/4 layer 28 on the side facing the interior ofthe casing and a color filter 26 on the outside of the displayinstrument as well as a linear polarizer 27 mounted between color filter26 and λ/4 layer 28.

Pointer 6 and dial plate 7 together form a first display 70.

Pointer drive mechanism 1 drives pointer 6 to rotate. Pointer 6 projectsinto recess 21 with the individual disc having the smaller diameter ofthe disk-shaped light-conducting body 5. This reduces the overall depthof the display instrument while at the same time maintaining thestability of the pointer. Lighting devices 3 illuminate thelight-conducting supporting body 8 from the rear. Light enters thelight-conducting supporting body 8 and then goes to the back of thering-shaped dial plate 7. Thus, the light illuminates dial plate 7 fromthe rear. In addition, the light goes from light-conducting supportingbody 8 through recess 21 into disk-shaped light-conducting body 5 ofpointer 6. The light entering there is conducted only through cutout 11in the direction of electro-luminescent display 9 and throughelectro-luminescent display 9 and cover disk 23 to the plane of theobserver. Cutout 11 thus appears illuminated and therefore serves aspointer 6, giving the appearance of a lance-shaped pointer of theconventional type. When lighting devices 3 are turned on, dial plate 7and pointer 6 or the first display 70 are lighted from the rear. In thiscase electro-luminescent display 9 is turned off. Electro-luminescentdisplay 9 is almost transparent when turned off. Thus, an observer inthe observer plane observing the display instrument through cover disk23 can see the lighted first display 70 through electro-luminescentdisplay 9 and can read the information displayed there.

If lighting devices 3 are turned off, however, no light goes from themto light-conducting supporting body 8 and therefore none goes todisk-shaped light-conducting body 5. Dial plate 7 and pointer 6 aredesigned to appear as an almost uniformly dark surface when observedfrom the front without lighting. Suitable materials for dial plate 7 andcover layer 10 include films (such as Macrofol films) with a "deadfront" appearance. Electro-luminescent display 9, whose electricconnections are not shown here for the sake of simplicity and whoseactivation principle is essentially known, is used to display additionalinformation that can be observed and read through cover disk 23 by theobserver. Usually in displaying such additional information by means ofelectro-luminescent display 9 it is desirable for the background toappear dark so the additional information displayed can be read with noproblem. This requirement is met here due to the fact that dial plate 7and pointer 6 appear as an almost uniform dark surface when the lightingis turned off. Thus, the information can optionally be displayed bymeans of dial plate 7 and pointer 6 or by displaying additionalinformation on electro-luminescent display 9. However, if the observerdesires, both displays can appear simultaneously by lightingelectro-luminescent display 9 as well as pointer 6 and dial plate 7, soa combination of displayed information on just one display surface ispossible. In an advantageous embodiment according to the presentinvention, electro-luminescent display 9 may be designed by the ACTFELD(alternating-current thin-film electro-luminescent display) principle.This is an especially thin design of electro-luminescent display 9. Thisyields a high transmittance when electro-luminescent display 9 is turnedoff. In addition, the total depth of the display instrument is reduced.

Cover disk 23 is designed as a circular polarizer. By linearpolarization using linear polarizer 27 and by a 90° rotation of theplane of polarization through λ/4 layer 28, light passing through coverdisk 23 and reaching the interior of the display instrument and thenstriking cover disk 23 from the inside after being reflected on frontelectrode 17 of electro-luminescent display 9 is prevented from escapingfrom the interior of the display instrument, which thus provides a glaresuppression effect for electro-luminescent display 9. Color filter 26preferably has a narrow band pass range around the wavelength of thelight of electro-luminescent display 9, which is about 585 nm (yellow)for a known thin-film electro-luminescent display. This yields theeffect that any light of a different color reaching the interior of thedisplay instrument through cover disk 23 from the outside is greatlyattenuated, so there is not any unwanted brightening of the interior ofthe display instrument and thus the display contrast is increased. Byinclining cover disk 23 toward a black surface, the latter is reflectedfor the observer in cover disk 23. This yields with simple means anantiglare effect of cover disk 23 which could otherwise be achieved onlyby coating with expensive antiglare layers. Since this displayinstrument is used preferably in combination automotive instruments,e.g., in passenger automobiles, it is possible for the cover disk to beinclined toward the dashboard for this purpose, because the latter isusually black.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of a display instrument according to thepresent invention. The numbering of the individual parts in FIG. 1 hasbeen retained here. Pointer drive mechanism 1 is in turn attached to theback of base plate 2 so that shaft 4, which is driven by pointer drivemechanism 1, passes through passage 25 in base plate 2. Several lightingdevices 3 that light up light-conducting supporting body 8 are againprovided on base plate 2. Light-conducting supporting body 8 is againdesigned with rotational symmetry and has cylindrical passage 20,through which shaft 4 passes, arranged concentrically with its axis ofsymmetry in which shaft 4 also lies. An opaque disk-shaped body 12having the same shape as disk-shaped light-conducting body 5 shown inFIG. 1 has a pointer hub 24 as the individual disk with a smallerdiameter into which shaft 4 is inserted. Opaque disk-shaped body 12 alsohas a slot-shaped cutout 13 running radially. Opaque disk-shaped body 12together with slotted cutout 13 forms an approximately rotationallysymmetrical pointer 6. Light-conducting supporting body 8 has a recess21 containing the individual disk of pointer 6 having the largerdiameter, in which diameter is smaller than the diameter of recess 21,and pointer hub 24 whose diameter is smaller than the diameter ofpassage 20 passes through passage 20. The flat surface oflight-conducting supporting body 8 that faces the observer projectsbeyond the flat surface of opaque disk-shaped body 12 facing theobserver. Circular dial plate 7, which forms a cover for recess 21, isapplied to the surface of light-conducting supporting body 8.Electro-luminescent display 9 is mounted directly on the top of dialplate 7. Electro-luminescent display 9 includes rear electrode 19, frontelectrode 17 and the electro-luminescent layer 18 applied between thetwo electrodes 17 and 19. Electro-luminescent display 9 together withdial plate 7 and light-conducting supporting body 8 thus forms a fixed,approximately plano-convex unit. This unit is mounted in casing 22together with base plate 2. Pointer 6 and dial plate 7 form the firstdisplay 70.

Here again, lighting devices 3 serve to provide light for thelight-conducting supporting body 8 which conducts the incoming light todial plate 7. The slotted cutout 23 in opaque disk-shaped body 12 servesto transmit light coming out of the light-conducting supporting body 8in the direction of the observer and thus gives the appearance of anilluminated pointer 6. Here again, as in the arrangement illustrated inFIG. 1, even when electro-luminescent display 9 is turned off, directobservation of the first display 70 and the information displayed on itis possible through electro-luminescent display 9, which appearstransparent in this case. Lighting devices 3 are switched on for thispurpose. In the converse case, lighting devices 3 are switched off anddial plate 7 and pointer 6 appear as an almost uniformly dark backgroundsurface for displaying the additional information on electro-luminescentdisplay 9. This is accomplished in the known way by controllingelectrodes 17, 19. Here again, it is especially expedient to designelectro-luminescent display 9 as an ACTFELD because this permits anespecially small overall depth of the display instrument. Due to thefact that pointer 6 is embedded completely in the contour oflight-conducting supporting body 8, this yields a further reduction inoverall depth and an improvement in accuracy in reading the displayinstrument.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of pointer 6. It can be seen here that pointer 6is designed with approximate rotational symmetry, where the symmetry isinterrupted only by the slotted cutout 13 running radially to theoutside edge in opaque disk-shaped body 12. Due to the approximatelyrotational symmetry of shape, pointer 6 exerts only an extremely slightbending moment on shaft 4 during acceleration by shaft 4 in drivingpointer 6, which thus improves the accuracy in display and alsolengthens the lifetime of the display instrument. In addition, therequired "dead front" appearance can be achieved especially well becausepointer 6 has a large surface which, when mounted on the supportingbody, forms only a small ring-shaped slot between the supporting body 8and pointer 6, which could cause an inhomogeneity in appearance.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the display instrument. Here again,the numbering of the individual elements according to FIGS. 1 and 2 hasbeen retained. Pointer drive mechanism 1 is mounted on the back of baseplate 2, where shaft 4 that is driven to rotate by pointer drivemechanism 1 passes through passage 25 in base plate 2. A plurality oflighting devices 3 that illuminate light-conducting supporting body 8,which has an approximately plano-convex shape, are arranged on the sideof base plate 2 facing away from pointer drive mechanism 1. Dial plate 7is applied to light-conducting supporting body 8 on the side facing awayfrom lighting devices 3. Dial plate 7 and supporting body 8 have acylindrical passage 20 through which shaft 4 projects. Pointer 6 whichhas a pointer vane 14 and a light-conducting hub 15 is mounted on shaft4 at light-conducting hub 15. Light-conducting hub 15 also passesthrough a cylindrical hole 16 provided in electro-luminescent display 9.Electro-luminescent display 9 consists of three layers, withelectro-luminescent layer 18 provided between front electrode 17 andback electrode 19. Electro-luminescent display 9 is applied to theentire area of dial plate 7. In addition, cover disk 23 is placed infront of electro-luminescent display 9 and pointer 6 which are housed ina casing 22 as are base plate 2 and electro-luminescent display 9, whichis connected to dial plate 7 and light-conducting supporting body 8.Here again, pointer 6 and dial plate 7 form the first display 70.

This is a design of the display according to the present inventioninstrument wherein pointer 6, which is not designed with rotationalsymmetry, is mounted so it can move. Light emitted by lighting devices 3lights up the light-conducting supporting body 8 as well aslight-conducting hub 15 from the rear. The light entering throughlight-conducting hub 15 is conducted into pointer vane 14, thusilluminating it. Likewise, dial plate 7 is illuminated from the rear bylight entering the light-conducting supporting body 8. Thus whenlighting devices 3 are turned on, luminous pointer 6 in front ofluminous dial plate 7 can be seen through cover disk 23 whenelectro-luminescent display 9 is off and is thus transparent. Whenlighting devices 3 are turned off, dial plate 7 appears as anapproximately dark background for electro-luminescent display 9. Sincepointer 6 is made of a light-conducting but otherwise almost transparentmaterial, it causes only negligible interference with display ofadditional information by electro-luminescent display 9 when lightingdevices 3 are turned off. Since electro-luminescent display 9 is mounteddirectly on dial plate 7, this reduces the overall depth and also thereis practically no optical distortion even when observed at an obliqueangle. Furthermore, the parallax error is minimal in the case ofsimultaneous display of information by means of dial plate 7 andadditional information on electro-luminescent display 9. Here again, itis expedient to design electro-luminescent display 9 as an ACTFELD.Likewise, cover disk 23 is again designed as a circular polarizerarranged in an inclined position with a color filter 26.

As another embodiment of the display instrument according to thepresent, FIG. 5 shows an arrangement that differs from the arrangementillustrated in FIG. 1 in the following points. Two electro-luminescentdisplays 9, 69 are arranged in front of the first display 70 in casing22, where the first display 70 is designed as an LED display. Thiseliminates lighting devices 3, base plate 2, supporting body 8, pointer6, dial plate 7 and pointer drive mechanism 1.

Thus, this display instrument is suitable for presenting differentinformation on one of displays 70, 9, 69 by switching between the threedisplays 70, 9, 69. To do so, only one of the three displays 70, 9, 69is turned on while the two other displays 70, 9, 69 remain off. Sinceelectro-luminescent displays 9, 69 appear transparent when they are notactivated, an unhindered view of whichever display 9, 69, 70 is in useat the moment is possible. Conversely, LED display 70 forms a darkbackground if one of the two electro-luminescent displays 9, 69 is usedto display information.

As another embodiment of the display instrument according to the presentinvention, a series arrangement of several electro-luminescent displays9, 69 is also disclosed, with the first display 70 arranged at leastpartially behind them, so it is occasionally illuminated and is thusvisible but it can also be switched alternatively to be illuminated anddark. Such a series arrangement can be used to display information inthree-dimensional form by operating electro-luminescent displays 9, 69and possibly also the first display 70 at the same time. As alreadyindicated, the first display 70 need not necessarily include a pointerinstrument. It may also include an LCD or LED display or luminousdevices of any type that meet the requirement of forming a darkbackground for electro-luminescent display 9 in a condition where noinformation is displayed.

Cover disk 23 can also be designed as a normal transparent disk.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display instrument, comprising:a casing; afirst display arranged in the casing for providing information to anoutside observer in a first plane of observations; an arrangementincluding at least one lighting device for producing a substantiallyuniform dark surface on the first display during a first state of thefirst display corresponding to an off state and for producing one of anilluminated state and a luminous state on the first display during asecond state of the first display; and a second display arranged in thecasing at least partially in front of the first display, the seconddisplay providing a multiplicity of additional information to theoutside observer in a second plane of observation covering an area thatis substantially the same as an area covered by the first plane ofobservation and that substantially overlaps the first plane ofobservation, wherein the second display includes an electro-luminescentdisplay, and wherein the second display includes an arrangement forproducing a transparent state for the second display during an off stateof the second display.
 2. A display instrument, comprising:a casing; afirst display arranged in the casing for providing information to anoutside observer in a first plane of observation; an arrangementincluding at least one lighting device for producing a substantiallyuniform dark surface on the first display during a first state of thefirst display corresponding to an off state and for producing one of anilluminated state and a luminous state on the first display during asecond state of the first display; and a second display arranged in thecasing at least partially in front of the first display, the seconddisplay providing a multiplicity of additional information to theoutside observer in a second plane of observation covering an area thatis substantially the same as an area covered by the first plane ofobservation and that substantially overlaps the first plane ofobservation, wherein the second display includes an electro-luminescentdisplay, wherein the second display includes an arrangement forproducing a transparent state for the second display during an off stateof the second display, wherein the first display includes a dial plateand a moveable pointer arranged in front of the dial plate, the seconddisplay being arranged at least in front of the dial plate, and whereinthe at least one lighting device is disposed adjacent to the firstdisplay in the casing, the at least one lighting device including anarrangement for producing the second state in the first display bylighting the moveable pointer and the dial plate.
 3. A displayinstrument, comprising:a casing; a first display arranged in the casingfor providing information to an outside observer in a first plane ofobservation; an arrangement including at least one lighting device forproducing a substantially uniform dark surface on the first displayduring a first state of the first display corresponding to an off stateand for producing one of an illuminated state and a luminous state onthe first display during a second state of the first display; a seconddisplay arranged in the casing at least partially in front of the firstdisplay, the second display providing a multiplicity of additionalinformation to the outside observer in a second plane of observationcovering an area that is substantially the same as an area covered bythe first plane of observation and that substantially overlaps the firstplane of observation, wherein the second display includes anelectro-luminescent display; and a cover plate disposed in front of thefirst display and second display, wherein the cover plate is designed asa circular polarizer.
 4. A display instrument, comprising:a casing; afirst display arranged in the casing for providing information to anoutside observer in a first plane of observation; an arrangementincluding at least one lighting device for producing a substantiallyuniform dark surface on the first display during a first state of thefirst display corresponding to an off state and for producing one of anilluminated state and a luminous state on the first display during asecond state of the first display; a second display arranged in thecasing at least partially in front of the first display, the seconddisplay providing a multiplicity of additional information to theoutside observer in a second plane of observation covering an area thatis substantially the same as an area covered by the first plane ofobservation and that substantially overlaps the first plane ofobservation, wherein the second display includes an electro-luminescentdisplay; and a cover plate disposed in front of the first display andsecond display, wherein the cover plate includes a color filter, thecolor filter transmitting light having a wavelength substantially in arange of a wavelength of light transmitted by the second display.
 5. Adisplay instrument, comprising:a casing; a first display arranged in thecasing; an arrangement including at least one lighting device forproducing a substantially uniform dark surface on the first displayduring a first state of the first display corresponding to an off stateand for producing one of an illuminated state and a luminous state onthe first display during a second state of the first display; and asecond display arranged in the casing at least partially in front of thefirst display, wherein the second display includes anelectro-luminescent display, and wherein the second display includes anarrangement for producing a transparent state for the second displayduring an off state of the second display.
 6. A display instrument,comprising:a casing; a first display arranged in the casing forproviding information to an outside observer in a first plane ofobservation; an arrangement including at least one lighting device forproducing a substantially uniform dark surface on the first displayduring a first state of the first display corresponding to an off stateand for producing one of an illuminated state and a luminous state onthe first display during a second state of the first display; a seconddisplay arranged in the casing at least partially in front of the firstdisplay, the second display providing a multiplicity of additionalinformation to the outside observer in a second plane of observationcovering an area that is substantially the same as an area covered bythe first plane of observation and that substantially overlaps the firstplane of observation, wherein the second display includes anelectro-luminescent display; and a cover plate disposed in front of thefirst display and second display, wherein the cover plate is designed asa circular polarizer, and wherein the cover plate includes a λ/4 layerto produce a 90° rotation in a plane of polarization of the cover plate.7. A display instrument, comprising:a casing; a first display arrangedin the casing for providing information to an outside observer in afirst plane of observation, the first display including: an arrangementincluding at least one lighting device for producing a substantiallyuniform dark surface on the first display during a first state of thefirst display corresponding to an off state and for producing one of anilluminated state and a luminous state on the first display during asecond state of the first display; and a second display arranged in thecasing at least partially in front of the first display, the seconddisplay providing a multiplicity of additional information to theoutside observer in a second plane of observation that substantiallyoverlaps the first plane of observation, wherein the second displayincludes an electro-luminescent display that includes: a frontelectrode, a rear electrode, and an electro-luminescent layer arrangedbetween the front electrode and the rear electrode, wherein: theproviding of the multiplicity of additional information is caused by atriggering of the front electrode and the rear electrode, and the seconddisplay includes an arrangement for producing a transparent state forthe second display during an off state of the second display.
 8. Thedisplay instrument according to claim 2, wherein the dial plate ismounted on a light conducting supporting body.
 9. The display instrumentaccording to claim 8, wherein the supporting body includes a recess atleast partially receiving the pointer, and the second display isarranged in front of the pointer.
 10. The display instrument accordingto claim 2, wherein the second display is mounted on the dial plate. 11.The display instrument according to claim 2, wherein the pointer isformed by a disc-shaped light-conducting body having a front side, thefront side being covered by a substantially opaque cover layer, thecover layer including a cut-out that functions as the pointer.
 12. Thedisplay instrument according to claim 2, wherein the pointer is formedby a disc-shaped, substantially opaque body having a cutout, the cutoutfunctioning as the pointer.
 13. The display instrument according toclaim 2, wherein the pointer is rotatably mounted on a shaft whichextends from a pointer drive mechanism, the pointer drive mechanismmounted on a base plate together with the at least one lighting device.14. The display instrument according to claim 1, wherein the firstdisplay includes one of an LCD display, a lighting element and an LEDdisplay.
 15. The display instrument according to claim 1, furthercomprising a third display arranged between the first display and thesecond display, wherein the third display includes anelectro-luminescent display.
 16. The display instrument according toclaim 1, further comprising a cover plate disposed in front of the firstdisplay and second display.
 17. The display instrument according toclaim 16, wherein the cover plate is inclined with respect to at leastthe first plane of observation of the first display to produce anantiglare effect in at least the first plane of observation.
 18. Thedisplay instrument according to claim 1 wherein, when the first displayis in the second state, the first display provides the information tothe outside observer through an area at least substantially covered bythe second plane of observation.